Tire Standings

Home › Guides

Guides

Short explainers for the specs and tests behind the rankings. Each takes a few minutes.

Tire Buyer's Guide

How to choose a tire category for your climate and car, read the size, decide between two and four, and avoid the two most expensive mistakes.

3 min read

3PMSF vs M+S Explained

The difference between the severe-snow symbol and the M+S marking, and why only one of them is a performance test.

1 min read

All-Season vs All-Weather vs Winter

What separates the three categories, the temperature where summer and all-season compounds stop working, and which set fits which climate.

2 min read

How to Read a Tire Sidewall

Every code on a tire sidewall, decoded: size, load index, speed rating, DOT date, UTQG grades and the winter symbols.

2 min read

Treadwear Warranties Explained

What a mileage warranty actually promises, the conditions that void it, and why we still treat it as the best available signal of tire life.

2 min read

UTQG Grades Explained

How to read treadwear, traction and temperature grades, and what they do and don't tell you.

1 min read

Also useful